Southampton's Mayflower to remain shut until end of March

Mayflower chief executive Michael Ockwell said: “As challenging times continue for all of us, and following the lockdown restrictions that are now in place, I am sorry to confirm that all performances and Engage activity up to the end of March 2021 will not be going ahead.

“Please can I ask customers not to call the box office directly as we will be in contact with all affected customers in due course to inform you if your show is being rescheduled or cancelled.

“This is not the situation that we thought we would be in at the beginning of 2021, and it is frustrating that we are unable to reopen, however, the safety of our customers, staff and visiting companies comes first.

“I am immensely proud of the Mayflower Theatre team who prepared the theatre to reopen safely at Christmas with socially distanced performances. The feedback from the 3,500 customers who enjoyed Sleeping Beauty over our brief run was tremendous and it was a delight to see families enjoying live theatre once again.

“I fear that 2021 will continue to be a challenge for our theatre and we will continue to follow government guidance and look forward to reopening as soon as we can.

“Once again we are grateful to those customers who have either taken gift vouchers or donated their money to the theatre for cancelled shows. Your generosity is appreciated by all my colleagues.

“On behalf of the entire Mayflower team I thank you for your continued support and we look forward to welcoming you back to the theatre in the future for live performances once again.”